Chair



J1me 1939- G. THORNTON-NORRIS CHAIR Filed Aug. 1, 1938 Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE signor to The Scholl Manufacturing Company Limited, London, England Application August 1,

1938, Serial No. 222,505

In Great Britain February 3, 1937 7 Claims.

This invention relates to chairs of the kind in which tilting or tip-up seats are movable backwards and forwards in their frames so as, when the chairs are arranged in rows as in theatres or cinemas, to afford more room for persons to pass between the rows of chairs.

An object of the invention is to provide a chair of this kind in which the lowered seat as it moves backwards in its frame is turned about a pivot so that its front edge is lowered and, when it moves forward, its front edge is raised, thus ensuring comfort for the user with ease of movement to allow persons to pass.

In a chair according to this invention, the seat is pivoted on members mounted on studs which work to and fro in slots in or between guide members fixed between the front and rear uprights of the side frames of the chair and the members are coupled to the bottom of the pivoted back. The seat is provided towards the rear with stops which engage the members and limit the downward movement of the seat; similar stops may be provided to limit its upward movement. Preferably the members are connected to arms at the bottom of the back by parallel links and the seat, which is pivoted to the members, either coaxially with the studs or in downward extensions of the members, is provided with stops which engage them so that the seat is supported by engagement of its stops with the said members in its lowered or raised position. With this arrangement, the back and the members pivoted on the studs are maintained in substantial parallel relationship and, when the lowered seat is moved back from its forward position, with consequent tilting of the back and the said members into a more nearly vertical position, the front edge of the seat is lowered and, when the seat is moved forward from the backward position, its forward edge is raised owing to the changed attitude of the members. This not only makes the seat more comfortable for the user in all positions, but facilitates backward movement of the seat being effected by pressure of the users legs on the front part of the seat and also the reverse movement of the seat without the user getting up.

The studs working in the slots of the guide members are provided with rollers and buffers of rubber or buffer springs may be provided to avoid shock and noise.

In the accompanying illustrative drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a chair according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail view showing in side elevation the connection between the seat and the back without the frame; and

Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation corresponding to Fig. 2 but showing part of one side frame or standard and, in section, its guide member.

Referring to the drawing, a are the side frames of the chair, I) is the back pivoted at b in the frames :1, and c is the seat. Between the front and back uprights of the frame a are slotted guide members 01 on the lower adjacent flange of which run flanged rollers e mounted on studs 1 which are themselves mounted in members g The upper end portions of themembers g are coupled by parallel links it to arms 2' extending from the back b. The members 9 are extended downwardly and have pivoted or journalled in their extensions pivots or pins carried by brackets Z secured to the seat as shown. On the brackets l are projecting stops or abutments m and n which respectively limit the upward and downward movement of the seat about its. pivots or pins by engagement with the members 9. Fig. 1 shows the turned down seat in full lines in the rearward position and in dash and dot lines in the forward position. It will be seen from this figure that the members g swing or turn through a certain are upon the studs 1 during the for-- ward and backward movement of the seat, and, as the stops 0r abutments m and n bear alternately against the opposite sides of the links or members 9 so as to resist their further swing in opposite directions, they act as fulcrums on said links, causing the front edge of the seat to be correspondingly raised or lowered by swinging upon their pivots k.

A chair according to the invention may be built as a unit comprising conected side frame members supporting the seat and back, but in theatres and cinemas usually the side frame members or standards will be secured to the floor or common base and, except the side members at the ends of a row, each side frame will be common to two adjacent seats.

What I claim is:

1. A chair of the tilting or tie-up seat type, wherein the seat is also movable forward and backward and the back is tiltable backwardly and forwardly therewith, comprising in combination with the seat and back parts, supporting side standard or frame members, guides on opposite sides of said standard or frame members, swing members having intermediate pivots supported and slidably movable forward and backward in said guides,-a pivot connection between one arm of said swing members and the rear end of the seat, said connection also supporting said seat, a pivotal parallel link connection between the other arm of said swing members and the lower end of the back, means cooperating with said swing members for limiting the downward movement of the seat at its front end, and a supporting pivot connection between the intermediate portion of the back and the rear of said standard or frame members.

2. A chair of the tilting or tip-up seat type wherein the seat is also movable forward and backward and the back is tiltable backwardly and forwardly therewith, comprising in combination with the seat and back parts, supporting side standard or frame members, track guides on opposite sides of said standard or frame members, vertically disposed swing members having intermediate pivots supported and adapted to slide forward and backward in said guides, a pivot connection between the lower ends of said swing members and the rear end of the seat, said connection serving also to support said seat, a pivotal parallel link connection between the upper ends of said swing members and the lower end of the back, means cooperating with said swing "members for limiting the downward movement of the seat at its front end, and a pivotal support connection between the intermediate portion of the back and the rear of said standard or frame members, whereby movement of the seat forwardly or backwardly through said swing members and pivotal connections causes the back to be simultaneously tilted backwardly and forwardly.

3. A chair according to claim 2, wherein said limiting means comprises stops carried by the seat part working against opposite sides of the swing members, at opposite ends of their slide movement in the track guides, causing action therethrough to raise and lower the front end of the seat as it is drawn forwardly and backwardly and thereby simultaneously tilts the back part backwardly and forwardly.

4. A chair of the tilting or tip-up seat type wherein the seat is also movable forward and backward and the back is tiltable backwardly and forwardly therewith, comprising in combination with the seat and back parts, supporting side standard or frame members, parallel supporting guides provided in opposite sides of said standard or frame members extending forwardly and backwardly of the chair structure, vertically disposed swing members intermediately pivoted in rollers supportingly movable with slide effect within said guides, a pivot connection between the lower ends of said swing members and the rear end ofthe seat by which the seat is supported and rendered capable of forward and backward movement between the side standard or frame parts, a pivotal parallel link connection between the upper ends of said swing members and the lower end of the back by which said back is rendered tiltable with forward and backward movement of the seat, the said back being also intermediately pivoted to the rear of said standard or frame members, and stops or abutments associated with the seat connection to said swing members whereby in opposite limits of slide movement thereof the same bear fulcrumly against opposite sides of said members to cause the seat to be raised or lowered at its front.

5. A chair according to claim 4, wherein the said stops or abutments are carried by the seat or a bracket part thereof by which its pivot connection with the swing arms is effected.

6. A chair according to claim 4, wherein the said swing members are connected to the seat and back parts of the chair by parallel links or bars on opposite sides of the side standard or frame members.

7. A chair embodying a tiltable or tip-up-anddown seat movable forward and backward at the same time with its tilting and a back tiltable backwardly and forwardly simultaneously therewith, comprising, in combination with a supporting frame and the seat and back parts, parallel track guides on opposite sides of said frame eX- tending forwardly and backwardly of the chair structure, vertically disposed swing members having intermediate supporting pivot mountings in said guides movable forward and backward therein, a pivot connection between the longerarm lower ends of said swing members and the rear end of the seat part providing the only direct support for the latter which is accordingly movable forwardly and backwardly with the former, a counterbalancing pivotal parallel link connection between the shorter-arm upper ends of said swing members and the lower extended end of the back part by which said back part is rendered tiltable backwardly and forwardly with forward and. backward movement of the seat part in counterbalance of the same, a pivotal support connection between the intermediate or center portion of the back part and the upper rear of the supporting frame, and stops or abutments associated with the seat part connection to said swing members acting on opposite sides of the latter by which in opposite limits of forward and backward movement thereof a fulcrum action takes place against the sides of the swing members so as to cause the seat to be raised or lowered at its front.

GEORGE THORNTON-NORRIS. 

